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Kawakami Bansai
| divwidth= | floatalign= | floatclear= }} Kawakami Bansai (河上 万斉 Kawakami Bansai ), also known as Deaf Man (つんぼこと, tsunbo koto) or simply Tsunpo (つんぽ), is a member of the Kiheitai 鬼兵隊, an extremist Joui faction bent on causing world destruction. He is the actual main antagonist of Shinsengumi Crisis Arc. Background He is the hit-making music producer for newcomer idol Terakado Tsuu 寺門 通. When producing music for Tsuu, he uses the pseudonym Tsunpo to conceal his identity due to his occupation as an infamous assassin, which makes him a wanted criminal. Tsunpo is a deragotary term for hearing-impaired people. As the Shinsengumi knows about Bansai's appearance, it can be assumed that despite being a very famous producer, he never revealed his face to the media. He became a part of the Kiheitai and has supported Takasugi Shinsuke since then. Appearance He has teal green hair and matching clothes, and is always seen wearing a pair of sunglasses and also headphones with distinctive yin-yang symbols on the sides. When fighting, he has been seen using a sword hidden inside a shamisen, with which he used the strings to obstruct Sakata Gintoki's movements in Episode 104. He can also play this instrument. Personality It is uncertain how much Bansai actually picks up from his conversations with other people, seeing as he is always wearing headphones. That is also how he got the nickname Deaf Man when he was introduced in the Benizakura Chapter, as he had been sent to make a deal with the Harusame Space Pirates.Sorachi Hideaki. Gintama. VIZ media, Vol. 12, Lesson 97, p. 10. He was also instrumental as the go-between for Itou Kamotarou and Kiheitai during the Mutiny Chapter, and seems to somewhat have the role of a negotiator for the Kiheitai. Bansai is a refined speaker, and uses the olden form of gozaru (ござる), instead of the modern gozaimasu (ございます) when speaking. Bansai has an seemingly calm demeanor, which covers his vicious, almost cruel personality. Strength & Abilites Master Swordsmanship Specialist: 'He is a highly-skilled swordsman, as seen in episode 104 when he managed to stand his ground against Gintoki. He can listen into a person's ''tune, which can be considered a reflection of that person's mood or spirit. This ultimately led him to spare Yamazaki's life instead of killing him, as seen in Episode 105 of the Mutiny Chapter. In the same episode, Bansai told Takasugi Shinsuke that if he can't get into it (the beat/tune), he backs out immediately, because that's how he does things. Bansai is also capable of using his strings to tear his opponents' limbs off. His physical strength seems to be on the same level as Sakata Gintoki's, as he had no problem holding the struggling Sakata Gintoki in place with his strings. Story His first appearance was in Episode 56 where he was sitting a bench in the park and reading the newspaper with music on. Benizakura Arc He was introduced along with the rest of the Kiheitai in the Benizakura Chapter. He had been sent to negotiate with the Harusame Space Pirates, delivering Gintoki and Katsura's heads to them in return for their cooperation in Takasugi's plans. However, Takasugi's plan failed and both Gintoki and Katsura managed to escape. Kawakami was intrigued by Gintoki's and Katsura's fighting abilities and wanted to duel them one day. Shinsengumi Crisis Arc He made another appearance in the Mutiny Chapter, where he worked as a go-between for Itou and the Kiheitai, and also personally fought against Gintoki and the Shinsengumi, in order to help destroy them both internally and externally. Although Itou and the Kiheitai managed to create quite the stirr, the Shinsengumi ultimately survived. He was also briefly mentioned in Episode 124, where he had left a message to Tsuu saying he sprained his finger when a man with naturally wavy hair (Gintoki) slammed his helicopter, with him in it, to the ground using his bokutou. Because of this, he couldn't produce Tsuu's new album in time for the release date, and she had to write a new song herself (with some help from her friends and fans). Kabukicho Four Devas Arc Bansai made yet another appearance alongside fellow Kiheitai members Takechi Henpeita and Kijima Matako in Takasugi's spaceship in Episode 215 (chapter 310-311). Relationships Friends & Allies *Takasugi Shinsuke: He shares Takasugi's vision about destroying the Bakufu and Amanto, but is also shown to be the least cooperative of the Kiheitai, as he seems to also understand Gintoki's willingness to protect what's dear to him, even questioning Shinsuke whether he could ever understand something like that. *Kijima Matako: He is shown to get along with Matako. Together the two of them are shown torturing Takechi when he pretended to be Takasugi. *Takechi Henpeita: Enemies *Sakata Gintoki: Trivia * Bansai's name is based on the real life Hitokiri or Manslayer, '''Kawakami Gensai 河上彦斎, a reknowned extremist, assassin and a highly skilled samurai of the Edo period who was one of the four notable assassins of the Bakumatsu period. ** Bansai's given name may be based on the term banzai which is typically yelled as a battle cry or form of celebratory declaration. Battles References Category:Characters Category:Human Category:Male Characters Category:Kiheitai Category:Wear sunshades Category:Editing needed Category:Antagonists